Eight Years Later
by WindowChild
Summary: Percy and Annabeth's wedding.


Eight years. Eight years since Percy turned sixteen; eight years since they finally found their way into one another's affections.

Annabeth smiled. She liked thinking about it, sometimes. It had gotten to the point where it wasn't much more than a memory, and it was nice to go over it in her mind. She'd remember different things on different days. Some days, it was the happy parts. Their first kiss, their first moment of freedom from impending doom. Other times, she'd force herself to recount the grimmer details. The terror, the confusion over Luke. Time had helped though. Now it was nothing more than a dull prick, a reminder of the worst and best years of her life.

So much had happened since then. They'd grown up, without anything else to hold them back from it. Slowly, their relationship had reshaped, turning into that of a boyfriend and girlfriend. It was new, and Annabeth liked the way it made her feel. They'd both been extremely inexperienced in the field of dating, which had made it all the easier. They'd never been alone in their nervousness.

They graduated high school. Annabeth had given Percy extensive tutoring so that he only had to repeat a year. College was interesting. A whole different playing field, that Annabeth discovered she didn't mind. It was nice to meet people who weren't like them, nice to meet people who didn't know their secrets.

She'd become an architect, like she'd always wanted to. It was a strange thing, having your dreams come true. She was unused to it, and it took her a while to adjust to being fully happy. Percy had yet to settle on a career path. He worked at camp mostly, helping assimilate the new demigods to their lives. It was easier than it used to be, though. There was hardly any danger for them, and they could learn to fight without the added pressure.

Everyone was content. Grover and Juniper remained a couple, now living in a cottage on camp grounds. Neither had grown in nearly a decade, but they seemed happy nonetheless.

Annabeth's reminiscing stopped short, as she caught sight of her ring in the sunlight. She'd had it for about ten months, but was still unaccustomed to the shine. Something about it trapped her adrenaline, accelerating it until she thought she'd burst. One more day… one more day and she'd be married.

It was funny; their relationships seemed split about the idea. Some people, namely their parents, thought they were marrying too young. However, their college friends were shocked by how long it had taken. After all, they'd entered school completely smitten with one another, and had stayed that way for four whole years. It was miraculous for two people their age.

And now they were engaged. She remembered the night it had happened. He'd fumbled the words and forgotten to kneel, but it had been perfect anyway. They'd taken a while to plan it. Percy for once had lost his impulsiveness, understanding the importance of the event. He'd stayed mostly out of the details, though. That was Annabeth's territory, and she had plenty of help anyhow. Besides, she'd made it very clear to him that he had no taste when it came to fine china.

At last, it was time. They'd only just finished the rehearsal dinner, and it looked as if things were perfect. Thalia was to be the maid of honor, and Grover the best man. They were the obvious choices, despite the close friends that the two had made at college. Grover had even agreed to wear fake feet, so that their ignorant friends might be able to come. Everything was going according to plan.

The gods weren't coming. It wasn't as if they had expected them too, although it would have been nice. But they'd agree earlier not to let it touch the happiness of their big day; the time when the gods' had ruled their children's morale had long since passed.

Annabeth brushed over the thought quickly, sticking to their promise. No, this day wasn't about their parents. It was about them alone, as proven by their mortal guests. It was a heartening change of pace.

She drifted peacefully through dreams, her spirit soaring somewhere by the peak of Olympus. Nothing could go wrong, absolutely nothing.

She awoke at six a.m., being picked up by Thalia and Sally at her house. As with the course of tradition, she and Percy would not see one another until they were up on the altar.

Thalia and Sally were both all smiles, pulling her into the car with immeasurable enthusiasm. Thalia told her how old she was getting, and Sally gushed about how excited she was to have a girl in the family. All predictable, but Annabeth was touched anyway. She wanted to say how happy she was to be getting a mother in law, but couldn't do it. She'd never been all that spectacular with emotional proclamations.

They arrived at the church already, only to discover that it was already abuzz with relatives and friends. Annabeth caught sight of Grover, waiting inside the doors, and he pulled her aside.

"Listen, before you walk down the aisle, can I talk to you?"

He looked nostalgic rather than anxious, and so Annabeth's guard didn't go up. "Sure Grover… I'll see you when I'm all ready."

She was whisked off by various female relatives, and dolled up to within an inch of her identity. While she'd never had any _serious_ qualms with her appearance, this was one of the few moments in her life where she felt truly beautiful. They'd done something to her face that made it stand out. It shone, bright and flawless, and Annabeth felt like a true bride. She couldn't help it; her mouth would do nothing but smile.

They left her one by one, giggling and squealing like little kids. She was the first of their friends to get married. Sally was the last to go, kissing her atop the head and whispering how much she loved her. It made Annabeth feel sort of guilty. Although she had learned to get along with her father, she doubted that Percy would receive such warmth from him. He just wasn't that type of person.

She stared at herself in the mirror, relishing the sudden vanity. She enjoyed feeling so _special;_ it wasn't something that happened often.

At last, she left the preparatory room behind. Oddly enough, she was not the bundle of nerves that she had been warned she'd be. There was something that was so _right_ about the marriage, that all she wanted was to keep walking until she was beside Percy.

She'd completely forgotten about Grover until she saw him waiting for her in the hall. "Hi," she said softly, locking a piece of hair behind her ear.

His face lit up as he saw her. "You look beautiful." It sounded uncharacteristically solemn for him, but Annabeth continued to smile.

When he didn't say anything else, Annabeth spoke, "My dad's waiting…"

He seemed to snap out of a daze. "Oh, right, I know. I just wanted to say, I think you're a great friend."

"Thanks," she replied awkwardly, unsure about where this was going.

He sighed, evidently realizing how weird it sounded. "I mean, I don't say it enough. I've known you since before you even came to camp, and I realized I don't think I've ever said it before."

"Well, that's okay," she replied, slowly, "I know that we're friends."

He shook his head. "Yeah, but that's not good enough. Besides Percy and Juniper, you're my best friend in the whole world. And I've known you longer than either of them." The silence stretched for another moment, Annabeth waiting for him to continue. "I mean, I've watched you grow up," his voice began to wobble with the token sensitivity that he was known for, "And now… you're marrying my best friend. It's too good to be true."

Annabeth felt her insides warm unexpectedly. If neither of her parents would give her the 'all grown up' speech, Grover was certainly the next best person. "Thank you," she replied softly, hugging him as tightly as she could. "I love you. _I _don't say that enough."

"Are you ready?" he asked, extending his arm for her to take.

She took it, beaming once again. "I'm ready," she repeated, enjoying the way the words sounded. It was nice practice for 'I do'.

"I'll see you inside," he whispered, leaving her behind with her father.

Frederick also took her arm, smiling wordlessly at her. He'd never been the best at expressing love for his little girl. "You're ready?" he asked, echoing Grover's words.

She only nodded, her heart beating too quickly to speak. This was it… the beginning of the rest of her life, of a new kind of destiny. She had never felt so lucky before. Even after everything they'd been through, it had all worked. She had friends and family, and she'd gotten everything she wanted.

She glanced up, her eyes locking onto Percy's. Their smiles matched so identically, that she wondered when they'd adopted such a similar perspective on the world.

It worked because it was easy, she realized. Their relationship, it survived because of its comfortable nature. Despite all of their differences, they could just _be_ around one another. It was this that made Annabeth continue to smile, that told her nothing else was going to go wrong for them. They'd already survived the worst, and no matter what else was true, they would take on the future together.

A/N: I threw in the bit with Grover because I really hate how little the friendship between the two is explored. I mean come on, they've known each other for forever, it's shocking that no one writes about it. Also, yes, I know Percy's not really in it. That wasn't the point. : ) Reviews are appreciated.


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